Technology
Quality materials and components are the foundation of every HRE wheel. Our in-house engineers specify materials that meet stringent quality requirements and achieve the performance attributes befitting the world's finest vehicles.
  • Forged 6061-T6 Aluminum
    An HRE wheel begins life as high quality 7" diameter 6061-T6 aluminum billet rod. The billet rod is heated and placed into a precision die where it is forged using millions of psi of pressure into a raw forging as specified by HRE’s engineers. The result of the forging process is aluminum with a refined crystalline structure whose grain direction is aligned with the primary load direction of the wheel spokes. The processed forging is then precipitation heat-treated to a T6 temper to achieve the perfect blend of strength and ductility. Typically high quality forgings such as these are only found in aerospace applications or high load automotive applications such as performance pistons and connecting rods. These high strength 6061-T6 forgings are the foundation of HRE wheels. HRE’s partner for supplying forgings is Aluminum Precision Products who is the highest quality forging supplier to the automotive market in the United States and who caters primarily to the aerospace market. This type of high quality partner is critical to HRE as the forging is the foundation of all of our wheels and therefore they must be held to the highest standards.
  • Casting vs. Forging
    In comparison to forgings, castings are made by pouring molten aluminum into a mold and have considerably lower strength, ductility, and fatigue resistance. Besides not having the specific strength (strength-to-weight ratio) of forged aluminum, castings often suffer from defects in the form of voids or porosity. The main trait of castings are their low cost and ability to be produced in high volumes but at the expense of strength and weight. In order to maximize the performance of the wheel HRE uses forgings and not castings to produce its wheels. At HRE, we don't believe in compromising performance and quality for a few dollars.

    Learn more about the differences between Cast Wheels vs Forged Wheels in our blog
  • Spinning/Flow Forming
    3-piece Spun Rims
    A 3-piece rim half begins life as a large aluminum sheet which is formed using a CNC spinning lathe. The forming (or spinning) process imparts considerable energy into the aluminum, further refining and orienting the crystalline grain structure in a manner similar to forging. After subsequent heat-treatment processes to achieve a T6 temper, CNC technology is used to machine the inner diameter of the rim half and the assembly holes so that it precisely mates with the forged center – this is a critical step because the quality of these machine steps relate directly to the final wheel's concentricity. The end result is a highly concentric rim half with the strength properties required to be resistant to the impact and fatigue demands of an HRE 3-piece wheel.

    Monoblok Flow-Formed Rims
    Similarly, HRE’s Monoblok wheels have rim barrels that are also spun. The main difference between a spun 3-piece rim half and a spun Monoblok rim barrel is that the Monoblok rim is spun from a solid forging instead of sheet, but the changes to the grain structure and the process are extremely similar as are the advantages. This process of spinning from a solid is typically called flow-forming. Once flow-formed, the rims of a Monoblok are then CNC machined along with the spoke profile of the wheel, resulting in a very precise and concentric 1-piece forged blank from which the spoke design is later machined.
  • High Strength Fasteners
    A key component often overlooked in the construction of 3-piece wheels are the fasteners. Being structural components, they are crucial in terms of safety and are far from simply being a decorative item. The 3-piece platform places extremely high stresses and fatigue loads on the fasteners. As a result, HRE's fasteners are designed to stringent specifications to attain high strength and fatigue resistance.

    Stainless Steel Fasteners
    The majority of HRE wheels use high-strength stainless steel fasteners supplied by Automotive Racing Products, the leading supplier to Formula 1 and other forms of professional racing. Using the highest quality engineering and manufacturing methods, ARP creates custom fasteners for HRE that are designed to meet stringent strength, fatigue and corrosion specifications. Due to the high quality nature of these fasteners, they are 4 times as expensive as the chromed steel fasteners used in most wheels, but this is an example of how HRE is unwilling to compromise quality for cost savings.

    Titanium Fasteners
    Taking it even a step further, HRE's Competition Series uses a Titanium fastener that not only satisfies stringent strength, fatigue and corrosion specifications, but also decreases mass thereby reducing unsprung weight and minimizing rotational inertia. HRE's source for these highly specialized fasteners is ALCOA of Germany, the primary supplier of Titanium fasteners for the new Airbus A380. Due to the extreme nature of our application, these fasteners were custom designed for the Competition Series and are 20 times as expensive as standard chrome steel fasteners. This is an even greater example of HRE’s unwillingness to compromise quality for cost savings. These fasteners are the only components of an HRE 3-piece wheel that are sourced outside the United States.